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MMA: Rizlen Zouak, the fighter who wants to demonize the discipline

“There is always respect”

What appeals to him about MMA is the all-in-one. Because the sport blithely mixes the boxing foot-fist, the ground, the fight. But the 35-year-old fighter hammers it with force: “There is a real rule.” Because MMA has long suffered from a bad reputation. Deemed too violent, the discipline had no federation in France until last year (it is today under the supervision of the French Boxing Federation) and its competitions were not legalized until January 2020.

“There was a lot of amalgamation. He said to himself that anything was allowed, that there were no rules. This is wrong. We are very controlled. We are not allowed to shoot. the hair, to hit behind the head for example … The strikes on the ground can be impressive, but they are less dangerous because less powerful than if we were standing “, continues the puncheuse who competes in the category of less than 61 kg. “MMA is show, you can take it easy, but there is always respect. It’s a real sport with real values.”

Dropped on the octagon, the “Lioness of the Atlas” (“A nickname that comes from my little nephew who calls me ‘Tata lion'”) fears nothing, nor anyone. And she’s not afraid of getting hurt. “In combat you can get injured, but like in boxing or rugby. It is no more dangerous than any other combat sport.”

Its advantages ? “The clinch and the ground, techniques that I learned in judo. And then my mind. I learn everything, like a child.” However, she gets upset: a sprained elbow, a torn ligament at the level of the thumb …. “But that does not prevent me from fighting. I am doped with adrenaline.” Like many other fighter·e·s, Rizlen Zouak has in his sights the famous UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), the American organization recognized as the most important league of MMA in the world. “They recruit. The more we do shows and performances, the more they like it. And I have the chance to do shows, especially with judo ‘projections’. The spectators love it, it makes noise, we lift the opponent, it’s impressive. “

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